“It will be when you can’t pay for her ‘residential home.’ ” Moyra couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

“I’ll manage, man with my experience can always get work. Things’ll be OK, I’ll go and see her. Will you get me the perfume she likes?”

Moyra wanted to weep; his whole life was turned upside-down, and hers, and he was asking her to buy perfume.

“She must have a drawerful.”

“I like to take her something, you know that. I’m all she’s got.”

“You’re all I’ve got too, George!”

He gave her a sweet, gentle smile, showing his perfect teeth, his slanting, wonderful eyes. She loved him to bursting sometimes.

“I’ll get us a cup of tea.” She didn’t mean to sound abrupt, it just came out that way.

When Jane arrived home that night, later than she had promised, she wanted nothing more than a hot bath and to crash out.

As she walked into the bedroom, Peter took one look at her face. “I suppose you don’t want to go out to eat? Want me to get a takeaway?”

“Oh, yeah, but first I want a shower.”

“I booked a court, didn’t the message get to you?”

She looked at him and realized that he had been playing squash. “I’m sorry, love, I’ve been in and out of the station. I meant to call, but I kept getting waylaid.”

“You gonna be waylaid over this dinner?”

“What? The takeaway?”

“No, I told you, I asked you for a date when I could invite Frank King and his wife, and Tom and Sheila, to dinner. I told you.”

“I know, and I haven’t forgotten. I’ve even arranged for Pam to come over tomorrow to help me sort out the menu!”

“Well, there’s no need to go mad!”

“With my culinary expertise, darlin’, I doubt it, but I’ll have a go.”

He tipped her chin up and kissed her, looking into her eyes. “It’s important to me. I lost out on a contract; if I pull off this deal with Frank King we’ll set up a partnership. He’s got a big yard, employs fifty guys, and then Tom supplies the paint. We cut cost all round. I don’t know if they want me with them, but it’d be a big plus for me, so the dinner’s important.”

“I know, it’s no problem, but my hunger is! Lemme have a shower, you get the nosh.”

The hot water felt good. Wrapped in a big toweling dressing gown, Jane switched on the television and lay on the bed to watch it. She could have gone to sleep there and then, but Peter arrived with the Chinese takeaway. She could hear him banging around in the kitchen but didn’t have the energy to get up and help him.

The telephone rang and Peter appeared at the door. “If that’s for you to go out, I quit! I quit!”